Some 501 IDF soldiers have been killed since the beginning of Operations Swords of Iron on October 7, Israeli media reported citing Israeli military numbers.
In addition to the over 500 soldiers, 57 officers and policemen of the Israel Police were also killed in the battles to contain and defend the settlements, along with about ten soldiers of Shin Bet.
The vast majority of soldiers that were killed were on October 7, which was over 300, according to the IDF website. The number slowly increased over the past 82 days of fighting.
The day of the massacre saw Hamas terrorists entering IDF bases in the south and massacring the soldiers. Forces that jumped to defend the bases were also injured, led by Golani's 13th Battalion, which suffered dozens of casualties that day.
Many dozens of IDF soldiers from various units were killed during the attempts to rescue the civilians from the surrounding settlements and during the recapture of the settlements and neighborhoods briefly occupied by Hamas that day.
Casualties since entering Gaza
On October 27, almost three weeks after October 7, the IDF's ground operation in the Gaza Strip officially began when special units entered the northern part of the Gaza Strip. In the first week of the ground entry, the IDF lost 21 soldiers. The most difficult day of fighting was on November 1, during which 15 soldiers were killed, 11 of them soldiers from Givati's Sabar Battalion who were killed by an anti-tank missile.
Another deadly day was on November 18, with ten people falling in the various battles in the northern Gaza Strip. December 12 was another black day, which claimed ten lives, nine of them in the battle in the neighborhood of Shejaiya. On the 23rd, nine more soldiers were killed.
The only week in which no soldiers were killed as a result of the outbreak of hostilities was the week of the truce, during which approximately 120 hostages were released.
The Golani Brigade lost 82 officers and soldiers; the Givati Brigade lost 32, the Nahal Brigade lost 31 soldiers, 25 paratroopers were killed as well. The commando brigade, which consists of the three commando units Egoz, Maglan, and Duvdevan, lost 26 of its soldiers. The 7th, 401st, and 188th Armored Brigades totaled 51 fighters in battles, mainly in the north of the Gaza Strip.